A marketplace for training and partnerships

“The Marketplace is a great opportunity to meet each other, to exchange expertise and to forge new links,” says Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, James Appathurai at the opening ceremony. “It also demonstrates the vitality and diversity of NATO’s partnerships. It is important for those involved to get together, exchange views and ideas, and expand networks.”

Training and education are important elements in building strong, lasting, partnerships with non-NATO countries. This annual networking event is organised together with the NATO School Oberammergau and provides an opportunity for the participating PTECs to introduce themselves to the wider NATO community.

“The speed with which this community is growing is overwhelming,” says Colonel Mark Baines, NATO School Oberammergau Commandant and Chairman of the PTEC Community, adding that there was no indication that this would slow down. “PTECs can help NATO use its resources appropriately. They want to do this. Education and training feed and link directly to Smart Defence and the Connected Forces Initiative.”

Approximately 40 participants from 14 PTECs, the NATO School Oberammergau and the Royal Netherlands Army UN Training Centre took part in the annual marketplace.

Expanding networks

“The last year has very successful for our PTECs,” explains DASG Appathurai. “Some 24 institutions have now joined the network with a growing number of students and courses. Today, the PTECs symbolise perfectly our joint approach to partnerships.”

With the induction of the Republic of Moldova’s Continuous Training Centre into the PTEC Community in 2012, the PTEC network now consists of 24 centres. Some 11 of these are based in NATO member countries with 13 in partner countries.

Initially launched in 1999 under the Partnership for Peace programme to develop training and education activities with Euro-Atlantic partners, PTEC activities have since been opened to participation of all partners.

In 2012, more than 15,000 students from Allied and partner countries attended residence courses and over 1,700 students participated in Mobile Education and Training Teams.

Partnership Training and Education Centres:

• Austrian Armed Forces International Centre, Götzendorf/Leitha, Austria*
• Peace Support Operations Training Centre, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina*
• Foreign Language Department, Vasil Leski National Military University, Shumen, Bulgaria
• Cairo Regional Centre for Training on Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa, Egypt*
• Finnish Defence Forces International Centre, Tuusula, Finland*
• Mountain Training Centre, Sachkhere, Georgia*
• German Armed Forces UN Training Centre, Hammelburg, Germany*
• Hellenic Multinational Peace Support Operations Training Centre, Kristoni-Kilkis, Greece*
• International Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy
• Defence Institute of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan*
• Institute of Peace Operations Training, Jordan Armed Forces General HQ, Amman, Jordan
• Language Institute, Jordan Armed Forces General HQ, Amman, Jordan
• Continuous Training Centre, Chisinau, Moldova
• Regional Department of Defence Resources Management Studies, Brasov, Romania
• Crisis Management and Multinational Operations Department, Bucharest, Romania
• Slovak Armed Forces Academy of General Milan Rastislav Stefanik, Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia*
• Slovenian PfP Language Training Centre, Begunje, Slovenia
• Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, Kungsangen, Sweden*
• Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland*
• Swiss Armed Forces International Command, Stans Oberdorf, Switzerland*
• Turkish PfP Training Centre, Bakanliklar/Ankara, Turkey*
• International Peace and Security Centre, Yavoriv, Ukraine*
• UK Defence Academy, Shrivenham, United Kingdom
• United States Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, USA

(*) indicates institutions that participated in this year’s “Marketplace”